At least 46 people, including 37 children, drowned in the eastern Indian state of Bihar while bathing during a Hindu religious festival, local authorities reported on Thursday.
The victims lost their lives during ritual baths in rivers and other bodies of water that had swollen due to flooding in the area, according to a local disaster management official.
“These individuals ignored the dangerously high levels of the rivers and bodies of water while bathing in celebration of the festival,” the official stated to the media.
The drownings occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday across fifteen districts of Bihar during the Hindu festival of Jitiya Parv.
Search efforts continued on Thursday to locate the bodies of three additional individuals, the same official reported.
Hindu religious festivals, which can draw millions of devotees for the largest events, often see mass accidents in India.
